Abdul Karim: Al-Jahra players' discipline key to victory over Al-Arabi

Ahmed Abdul-Karim, head coach of Al-Jahra’s first football team, expressed his satisfaction with the 2-1 victory over Al-Arabi in the second round of the Zain Premier League, securing his side’s first points of the competition after a 2-3 defeat to Al-Shabab in the opening round.

Speaking to Al-Anba, Abdul-Karim said that the “Jahrawis” delivered a strong performance in the second half after trailing at the interval, during which the opponent, Al-Akhdar, dominated and controlled the match. He noted that during the halftime break, he urged his players to remain calm and play with greater intensity, a directive they followed through their clear commitment and discipline in implementing tactical instructions.

Abdul-Karim pointed out that Al-Jahra benefited from the presence of their foreign professionals in the match against Al-Arabi, as all of them had been absent from the first game against Al-Shabab, which he felt his team did not deserve to lose. He confirmed that he took a risk by bringing the foreign professionals into the final 30 minutes of the match, as they had arrived only two days before the fixture, and their lack of cohesion with the local players was evident. Nevertheless, he emphasized that they proved their importance and value to the team.

The Al-Jahra coach added that his team’s performance would gradually improve with the upcoming arrival of the fifth foreign professional, Brazilian striker Rorima Mont.